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IAF pilots pop pills to get fighting edge

The ‘Go’ pill is Modafinil, which has gained currency in military aviation circles around the world for its alertness-enhancing and fatigue-managing properties. The ‘No-Go’ pill is Zolpidem, a sedative used to treat insomnia.

| TNN | Updated: Feb 8, 2016, 12:54 IST

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NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force has some new weapons in its armoury. No, they are not hypersonic cruise missiles, nor bunker-bursting ‘smart’ bombs. Instead, they are innocuous looking tablets called 'Go/No-Go' pills. And they are said to pack quite a punch. IAF fighter pilots are now increasingly using these “authorised” pills to boost alertness levels and cognitive powers as well as fight fatigue and sleep deprivation during round-the-clock combat exercises as well as long-range sorties designed to hone war-fighting skills.
The ‘Go’ pill is Modafinil, which has gained currency in military aviation circles around the world for its alertness-enhancing and fatigue-managing properties. The ‘No-Go’ pill is Zolpidem, a sedative used to treat insomnia.

In the works for the last three to four years, these pills were used extensively in the highvoltage ‘Livewire’ exercise conducted by IAF from October 31 to November 8, which saw the “activation” of all its 54 airbases across the country.

From fighter and helicopter pilots to air traffic controllers and even the top brass, the Go/No-Go pills were used to “good effect” during Livewire, which was designed to test both offensive and defensive capabilities for a two-front war contingency with “swing forces” being rapidly moved from the western theatre to the eastern one, and vice-versa. “It was a 24x7 exercise to stimulate a war, which requires high adrenaline levels and the ability to push the envelope.

The Go/No-Go pills are being used to optimise performance only after extensive clinical trials, both in simula tors and actual flying, with all necessary safeguards,” said a senior IAF officer. “The field trials and studies were conducted by our doctors to validate pharmacological strategies for sleep and alertness management for aircrews in extended operations.

It was established both Modafinil and Zolpidem would help to optimise our personnel’s performance in a sustained operational scenario,” he said.

After the adrenaline rush of a combat sortie with the Go pill, a fighter pilot needs to sleep well to ensure he remains sharp for the next mission.

“This is where the No-Go pill comes into play. It relaxes you, does not let your mind wander or worry,” said a Sukhoi pilot.

Incidentally, a Sukhoi-30MKI has a cruising range of 3,200km, which can be doubled with mid-air refuelling.

This leads to an extended sortie. A sleep-deprived pilot will suffer from lower performance levels, poor judgment and reaction time, which becomes all the more deadly if he is flying a supersonic fighter undertaking inherentlyrisky combat manoeuvres.

But can the use of Go/NoGo pills lead to addiction or adversely impact health? For one, the pills are not meant for everyday use, and are allowed only for specific missions under strict supervision. “For another, side-effects of both the pills during trials were negligible and did not appear to be a cause for concern,” said the senior officer.

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